


Bring Your Child to Work Day

by HC_Carter12



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Martha Wayne needs more love, cute kid Bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:10:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26050132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HC_Carter12/pseuds/HC_Carter12
Summary: Lucius Fox gets a front row seat to Gotham Academy's Bring Your Child to Work Day. He's about to learn a lot about his boss- the glamorous and scary Martha Wayne- as well as her 9 year old son Bruce.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Martha Wayne, Lucius Fox & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Martha Wayne
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	Bring Your Child to Work Day

Bring Your Child to Work Day

“No, no, let’s go over the numbers one more time.”

Lucius Fox looked over at his boss- who was currently hunched over the conference table, trying to make the latest quarterly earnings report fit in with the new PR&D budget proposal he had just shown her.

At first glance, most people were not necessarily intimidated by Martha Wayne nee Kane.  
She had the look of a debutante grown up- stylish, classic, and unthreatening. Her slender build was always clad in sophisticated power suits of all cuts and designs (though Lucius noticed she mostly favored grays and blacks while at work) and her delicate jawline and cheekbones gave her face an almost elfish appearance. The slender nose, pale skin, red hair and bright blue eyes only added to the effect.

Yes, it was completely understandable why most people looked at Wayne Enterprise’s CEO and thought she would be a soft touch.

In Lucius’ experience most people were morons

In the two short years he’d been with the Progressive Research and Design department he’d witnessed her thwart two attempts at a corporate takeover, finesse the board into agreeing to create a separately functioning Human Resources department (and fire five executives after complaints were made to that department about their “wandering hands and lips”), put a US Senator in his place while testifying before Congress about the importance of Wayne Medical’s research into effective HIV/AIDS treatments, and create and maintain the largest charity organization in Gotham’s history.

No, soft was not the word to describe Martha Wayne at all.

Scary (maybe), driven (definitely), smart-as-hell (absolutely), but never soft.

So, Lucius was confident that his driven, intelligent, scary boss would absolutely work those numbers into submission before the next Board of Directors meeting on Friday (where Lucius was certain Roger Elliot would try and cut his department’s budget again).

Mrs. Wayne (“Martha, Lucius, call me Martha”) was muttering to herself as she scribbled in the margins of Lucius’ report when suddenly her secretary’s voice crackled over the speaker.  
“Mrs. Marta, you have some guests out here waiting for you.” (Odetta Connetti was the jolliest secretary Lucius had ever met and point blank refused to lose the inflections or pronunciations of her native Italian- and woe betide anyone who dared correct her)

The redhead tucked a piece of hair behind her ears as she pressed the callback button.

“Thank you Odetta, but could you please reschedule them for another day? Lucius and I are need to get these figures sorted out before Friday.”

“It’s Mr. Pennyworth Mrs. Marta, and he’s here with your boy.”

Mrs. Wayne’s head snapped up “Bruce?”

No sooner had his name left her lips that a black-haired missile burst through doors of the conference room and straight into her arms.

“Hi mom!”

Lucius had only met Thomas Wayne a handful of times, but he could already tell Bruce would be the spitting image of the man once he was an adult.  
His black hair was currently a mess of windswept spikes (no doubt from his full-tilt sprint into the room) and his gangly arms and legs were clearly almost too long for his school uniform. In a few years puberty would melt away the puppy fat on his face revealing high, sharp cheekbones and a jawline to match (hopefully he would also grow into his hands and feet, Lucius counted at least six separate bruises on the boy’s knees and arms). His face was currently pressed into his mom’s midsection and his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. To her credit though, Mrs. Wayne barely stumbled as her nine-year-old child threw himself at her. She merely chuckled and pulled him into a closer hug.

“Master Bruce!”

Bruce flinched as Alfred Pennyworth- the Wayne’s proper English butler (and probably the second scariest person living in Wayne Manor by Lucius’ estimation) and Bruce’s constant companion strode into the room. He frowned and raised an eyebrow.

“Master Bruce, is that how a proper young gentleman enters a room?”

The nine-year-old bit his lip and looked pleadingly up at his mom.

She merely smiled and arched her brow. “Well Bruce?”

Bruce sighed with his whole body and Lucius had to turn his head to hide his smile. Damn that kid was theatrical.

“I’m sorry Alfred. I was just excited.” He spoke mostly to the floor, half his face hidden in his mother’s blouse.

The British man made a “tt” sound and shook his head. “Exuberance is hardly an excuse for poor manners young man. Now, go back out and apologize to Mrs. Connetti, then enter the room like the fine young man I know you to be.”

To the kid’s credit he didn’t whine or attempt to get out of going back out to the front where the secretaries’ desks were. Once he was out of earshot Mr. Pennyworth sighed and turned towards Mrs. Wayne.

“My apologies ma’am, Mr. Fox. We had just gone over how to behave at the office during the car ride over, but he’s been chattering about this all week.”

Mrs. Wayne smiled at the other man and shook her head. “It’s alright Alfred. I’m well aware of Bruce’s tendency towards tunnel-vision when he gets excited about something. He goes at it one hundred miles an hour.”

Mr. Pennyworth shook his head as he chuckled. “Too true ma’am, it’s a wonder the boy hasn’t broken any bones the way he flings himself about.”

Lucius snorted. “I guess it’s a good thing a doctor’s always on hand at home.”

Mrs. Wayne laughed, pushed some errant pieces of hair out of her face, then turned back to Mr. Pennyworth. Then suddenly as if something had just occurred to her, she furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side (Lucius almost snorted again with how similar she looked to her petulant 4th grader).

“Not that I’m not happy to see you all Alfred, but why are you here? Shouldn’t Bruce be in school?”

Before the butler could answer another- tinier- voice spoke up.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

The three adults turned to see Bruce in the doorway, brows furrowed (again the resemblance between him and his mother struck Lucius as almost comical), thin arms crossed over his chest. He was looking straight at Mrs. Wayne, piercing her with a look of utter betrayal. Mrs. Wayne blinked a few times, expression closing off as she was clearly trying to recall whatever it was that she had forgotten. It wasn’t fast enough for Bruce however, his shoulders hunched up to his ears and his pout became more pronounce as he marched from the door towards his mom.

The tension was broken somewhat by Mr. Pennyworth clearing his throat. “Manners Master Bruce.” A pointed head tilt towards Lucius gave Bruce the hint.

“Hello Mr. Fox,” he murmured politely, no looking away from his mother. “Mom you didn’t forget right? We’ve been talking about today for ages!”

“Oh!”

Clearly remembering whatever it was she had forgotten Mrs. Wayne closed her eyes and gently slapped her hand against her forehead. She opened her eyes, then crouched down so that she was eye level to Bruce.

“Yes I did. I absolutely forgot. ‘Bring Your Child to Work Day’, that’s today isn’t it. I’m sorry sweet boy.”

The boy visibly wilted and Lucius couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

It was a well-known fact in Gotham that Thomas and Martha Wayne were always doing something. Attending some charity gala that needed that extra bit of sparkle and glamour. Meeting with the next crop of idealistic politicians (or at least those who could act idealistic) to brainstorm a way to cut down on the city’s corruption. Performing some sort of complex surgery while barely breaking a sweat then turning around and trying make that same procedure easier and more affordable for the average citizen. Closing multi-billion-dollar business deals that held the promise of more blue-collar jobs while also lining the wallets of the wealthy. Some days it seemed to Lucius that every single person in Gotham needed ten minutes of the Waynes’ time for something. Hell, it was difficult to pin Mrs. Wayne down most days and she was his boss (and worked in the same building as him). He could only imagine how difficult it must be for their son- too young to attend most his parents’ social commitments, too energetic to sit quietly with them after a long day at work, and too smart to blindly accept the simpering sycophants that frequently surrounded his parents. It was no wonder then why young Bruce was looking at his mother as if she’d committed a great betrayal.

“But now that I remember, this is the best part of my day.”

Mrs. Wayne was smiling gently down at her son. Lucius could practically feel the warmth from the other side of the room.

“Really?” Lucius didn’t think it was possible for Bruce’s eyes to get any bigger or any bluer, but the puppy-dog look of hope he was giving Mrs. Wayne proved him wrong.

Mrs. Wayne nodded and once again was attacked by 60 pounds of nine-year-old.

“Are you certain ma’am?” asked Mr. Pennyworth, brows knitted. “We certainly understand if you are too busy today- don’t we Master Bruce?”

Bruce instantly shrank back into his hunched-shoulder disappointment. Eyes downcast, lips pursed he nodded.

Sunlight glinted off the yellow diamond in her engagement ring as Mrs. Wayne carded her hand through Bruce’s hair. Lucius glanced down at the papers still scattered on the table then back up at his boss. He knew without a doubt which obligation would win.

“Nonsense Alfred,” Mrs. Wayne replied. Bruce’s head snapped up, expression guarded and hopeful at the same time. “As Bruce said, this has been on the calendar for ages. It’s not your fault I forgot.”

Mr. Pennyworth still looked skeptical, even as Bruce literally began vibrating with excitement.

“Truly ma’am, it is understandable if you have-”

“Besides Alfred,” Mrs. Wayne cut him off, a sly look crossing her face. “Now that I’m remembering all off this, I seem to recall you had schedule today off. Something about an…old friend finally making it State-side?”

Lucius’ jaw dropped as a smirk made its way onto his boss’ face and pink settled firmly onto the cheekbones of ever-stoic Mr. Alfred Pennyworth.

He cleared his throat twice before he managed to speak. “Ma’am I assure you my…my friend will understand that my duties to this family and to the young master supersede-”

“Alfred.” Mrs. Wayne’s voice was warm, but a hint of steel lingered underneath. Lucius knew from experience (as did Mr. Pennyworth and Bruce by the looks on their faces) that that tone of voice was not to be argued with.

“Go. Meet your friend. Have a lovely rest of your day with someone you (by your own admission) haven’t seen in years. Then be prepared to regale us with tales of Jolly Old London Towne over breakfast tomorrow.”

“Yeah Alfred!” added Bruce, his face bright with excitement (and Lucius could only describe as deviousness). “I want to hear about the castles! You have to ask about the castles!”

Clearly realizing he was outmatched, the mustachioed man sighed. “As you wish Madame. I will be back tomorrow for breakfast seven am sharp. I should also tell you Dr. Wayne rang to say he won’t be home-”

“Alfred.”

Mr. Pennyworth’s lips twitched at the obvious dismissal but made no further comment. Instead he crouched down to Bruce’s eyelevel, looking very serious.

“Now Master Bruce, I expect you to be the very definition of a dutiful son. After all it wouldn’t do make your mother’s work more difficult would it? Can I count on your best behavior young man?”  
Bruce instantly snapped into a fairly decent salute. “Yes sir!”

“Jolly good then.” With a small smile and a pat on Bruce’s head, he turned towards the door.

“Oh and Alfred?”

Mr. Pennyworth half turned towards Mrs. Wayne as she spoke.

“Have _fu-unn_!” she called out in a sing-song voice.

Mr. Pennyworth turned bright pink but said nothing as he briskly strode back out to where Odetta and the rest of the secretaries were.

“So…what are we doing now?” Bruce looked up at his mom, expression hopeful.

Mrs. Wayne reached around her son to gather the papers left on the conference room table. “Now you, me and Mr. Fox go visit some of the other departments and convince them to accept a small budget cut.” She spoke with a cheeriness that didn’t match the line forming on her brow.  
Lucius grimaced. Though the numbers from the earnings report and the budget he’d proposed weren’t that far off, if Mrs. Wayne was planning on personally asking different department heads to brace budget cuts then that meant there was definitely not as much wiggle room as he’d hoped. Plus, it wouldn’t help the (not so friendly) company rivalry and rumors that PR&D was the favored department.

This was not going to be fun

Oblivious to the bit inter-office political theater he was about to witness, Bruce began bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Really?!”

“Yup,” said Mrs. Wayne. It really was remarkable how much warmth one human could fit into a smile- never mind a smile that didn’t show any teeth. “We’ll be visiting Mr. Concord in the Steel department, Mr. O’Shallon in Shipping, and Mr. Sato in Biofoods.”

Lucius couldn’t hold back a small groan. Of course the three departments that were going to receive the cuts were the three departments that hated him the most. Great. Though truthfully as the youngest department leader in the company’s one-hundred- and fifty-year history Lucius suspected there weren’t that many department heads that actually liked him anyways. Certainly Mrs. Wayne was the only board member who did. Lucius could still recall the derision of Jamison Crowne (“This boy Martha? He’s your grand poach from LexCorp?” “Graduated top of his class at MIT, has sterling recommendations from all of his previous employers and more creativity and vision in his little pinky than Samuel Southerson has in his entire body.”) at his introductory meeting. This afternoon was not going to be fun.

Oblivious to his pain (or perhaps just ignoring it) Mrs. Wayne grabbed an extra pen sitting on the table and placed it between her teeth. She then gathered her hair behind her head, twirled it around the fingers of her left hand and with her right took the pen from her teeth and stuck in the middle of the auburn blob. Miraculously it held as she lowered both arms, only a few errant pieces framing her face. She then turned to face him, sunny you’re-going-to-do-as-I-say smile firmly in place. “Oh, come now Lucius don’t give me that look. This is going to be fun, right Bruce?”

“Right!” Before Lucius or Mrs. Wayne could say anything else the boy was sprinting out of his mom’s office, past the secretaries, and straight towards the elevators.

Lucius stared at the dust trail he would swear rose up in response to the boy’s speed and shook his head. “He never stops does he?”

Mrs. Wayne just laughed. “Only if something’s really interesting, and even then if something else catches his eye he goes full steam towards that.”

After double checking they weren’t leaving anything behind the two adults made their way towards the Energizer Bunny that would be their companion for the rest of the day. Bruce was waiting for them at the other end of the office space, anxiously bouncing on his feet.

Mrs. Wayne turned towards her secretary. “I’ll be on the other floors all day Odetta. If anyone calls please tell them I’m unavailable until tomorrow.”

“Of course, Mrs. Marta.”

They made it to their young companion, who while still silent, was clearly losing his patience. His bouncing became faster the closer they drew, his eyes attempting to will their feet to move faster. A smirk hiding in the corner of her mouth was the only indication Mrs. Wayne gave that she noticed her son’s impatience. Without a word she pressed the down button for the elevator and waited, hand resting on Bruce’s shoulder.

Hoping to distract the boy from his bouncing, Lucius tried to make small talk. “So Bruce, how’s school going?”

Twin sets of blue eyes turned on him. One looking on in judgement, the other vaguely amused by his folly.  
Bruce shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Stupid.”

“Bruce.” The gentle admonishment was coupled with a ruffled of the boy’s hair, making it even messier and spikier than it had already been.

“It’s true! Mr. Langstrom is dumb and won’t let me fix his mistakes! He’s going to make the whole class even dumber than they already are.” The bouncing had stopped, now replaced by a petulant huff and arms crossed defensively over his chest.

“And Headmaster Hammer always takes his side!”

The elevator dinged, momentarily interrupting the young boy’s tirade. Bruce entered first, then Mrs. Wayne, then finally Lucius. Bruce took a moment to wave enthusiastically to the secretary pool. “Bye Mrs. Connetti! Bye Mrs. Lidress! Bye Miss Yang! Bye!”

Mrs. Wayne pressed the button for the 39th floor (starting with Concord, fabulous) and as the doors closed Bruce continued his tirade.

“And none of the kids in my class say anything! They just sit there and let him tell him the wrong answers! All of them are so dumb!”

“Now Bruce, that’s not very polite.” Even only looking at her profile Lucius could see the smirk once again threatening to overtake Mrs. Wayne’s face. “How would you feel if someone was constantly saying you’re wrong in front of the entire class?”

“I’m never wrong.”

Lucius barely managed to turn his laugh into a cough, but judging by the side-eye Mrs. Wayne was giving him, she hadn’t been fooled.

“Still.”

Bruce harrumphed and blew a strand of hair out his eyes. “Dad says I should never lower myself to other people’s standards, that I shouldn’t aim for medidocrity.”

“Mediocracy,” corrected Mrs. Wayne with a tired sigh. “And your dad says a lot of things sweet boy. While yes, you should always try your best, your best shouldn’t come at the expense of someone else’s feelings, that’s not how good men move in this world.”

Bruce sighed again, clearly aggravated his mom wasn’t taking his side. “You know I wouldn’t get in trouble if you just let me skip to eighth grade like Headmaster Hammer suggested.”

“Bruce we talked about this-”

“I would be in classes with smart people Mom! Much smarter than the kids in my class now. I wouldn’t have to correct the teacher cuz I wouldn’t know more than him!”

Mrs. Wayne sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, but there’s more to school than just what the teacher says Bruce. It’s also about learning about how to get along with other kids, how to work with people who annoy and aggravate you.”

“Besides,” she added, giving her son a sly side-eye, “not all kids your age are dumb. You like Ollie and Zanna.”

“True,” Bruce allowed reluctantly. “But I only see them outside of school!”

Mrs. Wayne nodded, as if he had just made a strong argument against her case. “Fair enough. But what about Tommy and Harvey? You see them in school. In fact aren’t both of them in your class? You wouldn’t be able to see them if you moved on to eighth grade.”

“Yeah.” Bruce was looking determinedly at the lights on the elevator showing their descent- as if concentrating on that would help him ignore the logic of his mom’s argument.

“And,” she said- that sing-song quality voice had returned as she hugged Bruce to her side, bending down to look him in the eye. “If you moved to eight grade you wouldn’t be able to play chess with Alfred every afternoon. St Paul’s is in New Hampshire, not exactly a quick drive home.”

“True.”

Lucius could see it, the moment the prey became weak enough for the predator to strike- hard, fast, and with astonishing efficiency.

“You wouldn’t able to help your dad practice his stitches,” she said, her voice lowering a little. “Plus, who would help me play the piano? I love Alfred and Dad, but they’re not exactly what you’d called musical.”

“True.”

A small smile was working its way up Bruce’s face- as if he suddenly realized what his mom was doing. “Dad can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

Mrs. Wayne threw her head back to laugh. “Exactly!” She gave Bruce a quick squeeze before letting go. “I promise Bruce, when you’re older you’ll do just fine at Saint Paul’s - go off and meet some amazingly smart people- but for now how about we just enjoy having you home for a little while longer hm?”

Bruce sighed theatrically and rolled his eyes, but Lucius could see the smile he was trying to hide and bright look in his eyes. “Fine, I’ll stay with stupid Mr. Langstrom for now- for you.”

The elevator dinged and just as the doors opened Mrs. Wayne dropped a quick kiss onto Bruce’s head. “Thank you, sweet boy.” She straightened, sighed then rolled her shoulders. “Alright Lucius, time to go to work.”

The trio walked from elevator down the hall, and into the cavernous lab/office of Wayne Enterprise’s Structural Engineering Department aka the Steel department. Rather than be divided into cubicles and sub-offices, the space had been built to resemble a massive workshop. Lucius could hear the high whine of heavy machinery in the back and out of the corner of his eye flashes of soldering guns and blowtorches winked in and out of his vision. There were about a twenty people moving around- hauling some beams of metal, carrying charts and figures from one workspace to another- and the no less than three periodic table posters adorned the walls. Lucius caught the wide-eyed look Bruce was giving the place (even in his grudging estimation it was pretty impressive that they were able to build a functioning workshop in an otherwise ordinary office-tower).

Finally, someone noticed them- or rather noticed the boss. “You alright ma’am?” asked the boy (and he was indeed a boy, hardly older than eighteen if Lucius had to guess). He fiddled with his safety helmet, spinning it around and around in his hands.

Mrs. Wayne smiled at him and Lucius thought for sure the poor lad’s heart stopped beating for a moment (after all it wasn’t every day that Martha Wayne smiled at you, personally). “Yes, Xander isn’t it?”

Lucius didn’t think it was possible for a human being to blush that deeply and still retain consciousness. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Xander, Mr. Fox and I need to speak with Mr. Concord about some budgetary matters, please tell him it can’t wait.”

Xander nodded and went to find his boss. While they waiting Bruce began slowly edging towards a rather unstable-looking tower of unused steel beams.

“Don’t even think about it young man.”

Both Lucius and Bruce started and turned to look at Mrs. Wayne, who was once again rifling through the budgetary reports, not paying either of them the slightest bit of attention. “How do you do that?” Bruce demanded, eyes narrowing at his mom.

Mrs. Wayne glanced over at her son, face perfectly blank. “I know everything.”

“I can attest to that,” cut in a new voice. Lucius turned to see Bradley Concord making his way over to them. He did his best to suppress his frown- it wasn’t that Concord wasn’t a decent man or an incompetent boss he was just…very old school. Both him and O’Shallon had come up through the company in similar ways- both had started working down at Gotham harbor when they were teenagers, worked hard, got promoted, and slowly clawed their way up the corporate ladder from lowly dockhands to the heads of two departments in a multibillion dollar MNC. Unlike O’Shallon, Concord had actually gone back to school (paid for by Wayne Enterprises) to get a degree in chemistry, but that didn’t mean he approved of the “fancy-pants eggheads who’ve never done a day’s practical work in their life”. The comment hadn’t been directed at Lucius, but it was pointed enough (and he’d been new enough) to create a layer of frost between the two men.

“She knows every inch of this company,” the older man continued, “There isn’t a single thing that happens in this building or in any other Wayne building that she doesn’t know about. Scares the newbies senseless.”

“Whoa.” Bruce looked back over at his mom, blue eyes wide with awe.

Mrs. Wayne for her part just snorted and shook her head, clearly amused by the hyperbolic compliment (though privately Lucius agreed with Concord, Mrs. Wayne always seemed to know which departments were going through staff troubles, which ones were lagging in productivity, and which were on the cusp of real breakthroughs regardless of what the reports said on paper).

“Careful Bradley, or you’ll give away my superpowers,” said Mrs. Wayne, a small smile resting on her lips. “I need a few secrets to keep this one on his toes.” Another fond pass through Bruce’s hair helped flatten some of the unruly spikes.

Concord flashed a small smile down towards Bruce before returning to his normal from. “Xander said you and Fox needed to talk to me?”

Mrs. Wayne smile didn’t waver, but her gaze became a fraction steelier, not truly in Big Boss mode, but prepared to get there if this conversation went badly. “Yes, there seems to a few unforeseen problems with previously submitted budgets for the next fiscal year and this quarter’s earnings report.”

Abruptly she turned to Xander, patented Martha Wayne Smile back in full force. “Xander would you mind showing Bruce some of your work? He’s taken to chemistry recently and I hear the new alloy you’re working on will revolutionize urban building as we know it.”

“Uh, s-sure Mrs. Wayne,” stuttered Xander, glancing at his boss. Concord gave a curt nod, eyes not leaving Mrs. Wayne’s face.

“Cool! What kind of alloy are you trying to make? Alfred’s only let me do experiments with iron and different liquids and he won’t let me smelt anything.” While Bruce had been firmly pressed to his mother’s side the prospect of playing chemist seemed to help him overcome whatever shyness he might’ve been experiencing.

Slightly taken aback, Xander scratched the back of his neck. He glanced nervously at Mrs. Wayne and Concord before answering. “It’s an iron-based alloy, all experimental really. Some miners in Egypt found this super conductive metal that no one really knows what do with. I think if mixed with the right amount of iron could one day theoretically make skyscrapers virtually self-powered. I’m mostly just messing around though.”

Bruce released his mom’s hand and darted over to the other man. “Cool! Show me!” With that he darted off to the back of workshop, leaving a frantic looking Xander power-walking to catch up with him.

Concord watched them walk off for a few moments then snorted. “Cute kid.”

“The cutest.” Lucius was actually a little impressed, he didn’t think someone could radiate maternal pride and fuck-off at the same time. Apparently Martha Wayne could. Concord sighed and rubbed his hand over his bald spot.

“Mrs. Wayne whatever “budgetary problems” there are you can’t possible expect my department to take the hit for it. We’ve hit our numbers bang on the last 16 quarters in a row. No other department has had that sort of consistency and we’re already operating pretty close to the bone already in terms of funds.”

Mrs. Wayne nodded, letting the older man finish his rant. “Of course, Bradley, there’s no doubt you and your people have made a huge impact on the overall vibrancy of the company-”

“And you of all people should understand how important maintaining a viable propriety chemical manufacturing base is.

Lucius suppressed a shiver as the temperature dropped about ten degrees around them.

“Mr. Concord.” Mrs. Wayne’s voice was cold, sharp, and steely and her eyes matched. Lucius saw Concord flinch, but to the man’s credit he didn’t break eye contact with her.

“As I was saying, no one is questioning your importance to the company, least of all me. However, there are a few economic realities we have to face.” Her face softened somewhat as she pulled out the quarterly report as well as the Steel Department’s budget report (which Lucius hadn’t even known was in the stack of papers they’d been looking at). “Now I’ve noticed you seem to have excess monies here…here…and here. Now, clearly you’ve put the funds to good use, but I also think it would be possible for us to shave this money out of your budget for this quarter.”

“We could reexamine the numbers next quarter, and if the Asian markets perform like we’re predicting they will we’ll be able to restore these funds to your budget for the next fiscal year.”

Taking the pen out of her hair, Mrs. Wayne began scribbling some numbers on the side of the report. Concord looked at those numbers, looked at the PR&D budget numbers, then looked back up at Mrs. Wayne. His were still narrowed into slits, but he seemed to be more confused than upset.

“These number still don’t add up.”

In her heels Mrs. Wayne was actually taller than Concord by about two inches. She used every centimetre, drawing herself up. “No. They don’t. You’re not the only department we’re visiting today Bradley, but you are the first since we’re asking you to take the biggest cut.”

“Oh who else?”

“Shipping and Biofoods,” said Lucius.

Concord sighed and ran his hand over his bald patch. He looked at the papers one more time, clearly doing some of his own calculations. Lucius could practically see the gears in his mind, turning the numbers over and over, trying to mind some other way to attack them.

Finally, the shorter man scrubbed his hands over his face and heaved his largest sigh yet, as if trying to expel all his lingering frustration. “Fine, we’ll take the cut.”

Lucius let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Mrs. Wayne’s expression didn’t flicker an inch- she merely nodded and said, “Thank you Bradley. I’ll make sure Odetta puts you on my calendar for the beginning of next quarter.”

Concord nodded, face still drawn in an unhappy frown. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your boy back?”

Mrs. Wayne snorted. “Unless you think you can keep him entertained down here.”

Lucius looked over to where Xander and Bruce had wandered off to- Xander was showing Bruce what appeared to be a dinosaur skeleton made of scrap metal, while the boy was taking rapid and fastidious notes on his arm with a pen. “I don’t think that will be a problem Mrs. Wayne.”

She followed Lucius’ gaze and when she saw her son she groaned and put her hand over her face. “Oh lord, Alfred is going to kill me if he gets ink stains on his school shirt. Bruce!”

Though he appeared startled, Bruce made his way from Xander (whom Lucius thought looked a little relieved) back to the other adults. “Mr. Xander was showing me how to make a robot dinosaur!”

Concord snorted and shook his head. He then straightened and looked between Lucius and Mrs. Wayne. “Now that that’s been settled, is there anything else you need from us Mrs. Wayne, Mr. Fox? Because if not, we need to be getting back to work and Lord knows Seamus will take more convincing than me.”

Mrs. Wayne nodded, her smile slowly creeping back over her face. “Of course, Mr. Concord. Thank you so much for your time. C’mon Bruce, we have a few more stops to make today.”

“Ok!” The prospect of visiting more people seemed to excite the young boy as he scampered back to the elevator. Mrs. Wayne just shook her head, but followed her son at a much more sedate pace.  
Lucius met Concord’s eye. “Thank you.”

The older man sucked his teeth, given Lucius a sharp once over. “Make it worth it wunderkind- the boss lady doesn’t stick her neck out for no reason.” Then, without another word he turned and began hollering at his staff to stop lollygagging and get back to work.

Lucius felt his lift into a small smile, it seemed Bradley Concord could be reasoned with after all. He then turned and walked over to join Mrs. Wayne and Bruce at the elevator- the younger of the two already beginning to rock impatiently (whether that impatience was aimed at him or at the elevator Lucius had no idea). As the doors opened, he swung around again. “Bye Mr. Concord! Bye Mr. Xander!  
Thanks for the dinosaur!”

Mrs. Wayne arched her brow as the trio entered the elevator. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah! He said I could have the one he was building- Mr. Xander says he’ll be able to make it walk! Just like in Jurassic Park!”

“Aren’t you a little young for that movie?” asked Lucius as he pressed the button for the fiftieth floor. He figured since they’d started with Concord, O’Shallon was the next logical stop.

“Yes, he is,” answered Mrs. Wayne, giving her son a hard look.

Bruce had the good sense to realized he’d made a tactical error and quickly looked away. He glanced at Lucius, but the engineer just shook his head. He wasn’t going to go down with that particular ship. Despite his best efforts however, Mrs. Wayne eventually made eye contact with her son.

“Well Bruce?”

“DadletmestayupandwatchitontapewithhimandAlfred.”

“Oh my God,” she muttered pinching the bridge of her nose. “And you didn’t have any nightmares?”

“You understood that?” asked Lucius. He was honestly impressed; he didn’t think any distinct words had actually come out of the kid’s mouth- just vaguely English sounds.

Mrs. Wayne sighed, not taking her eyes off her son. “I’m fluent in Wayne. Now answer me Bruce, did that movie give you nightmares?”

Bruce looked down, kicking the carpet in the elevator with his shoe. “Maybe…”

“Bruce-”

“It was about dinosaurs mom! Besides, Alfred didn’t mind me coming to him, he helped me with my piano playing instead of trying to make me sleep! Honest!”

Lucius could’ve sworn he heard her mutter “ _Goddamn it_ Thomas, fucking dinosaurs,” but she was once again pinching the bridge of her nose. Finally she raised her head and gave her son a challenging look.

“So you’re saying it was worth it, because Alfred helped you practice the piano -which you should already be doing- instead of sleeping after working all day?”

“Oh.” To the boy’s credit as what his mother had said sunk in, he looked pretty remorseful. “I guess I didn’t think about it.” He bit the corner of his lip and looked up. “He never said anything!”

“Bruce.” Again with the gentle steel, combined with a soft head pat. If Lucius ever had kids he’d have to remember to ask Mrs. Wayne how she managed to strike the sweet spot between stern and gentle every time. "I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but Alfred has his own life too. Sometimes he needs a break from being around us.”

“But doesn’t he love us?”

“Of course, sweet boy,” she murmured, stroking her hand through his hair. “But he also has his own life- outside of you, me, and Dad. He needs time to do things he likes -like sleep- without any of us around.”

Bruce’s brow began to furrow and his lower lip struck out on its own (Lucius would remember this pout until his dying day- in some ways this would his definitive mental picture of Bruce Wayne). Apparently sensing her son’s confusion Mrs. Wayne continued. “It’s not that he doesn’t love us, Bruce or that we don’t love him, but people need time away from their jobs. To rest and recharge.”

“I’m not his job!” Bruce cried, shaking his mother’s hands off. “Alfred loves me!”

Before Mrs. Wayne could reply (and Lucius could melt into the floor) the elevator doors gave a cheery ding and slid open. Without waiting for them to fully open Bruce darted out the door and sprinted to the opposite end of the hallway. He rounded the corner and ran smack into Seamus O’Shallon.

Where Bradley Concord was stocky and balding, Seamus O’Shallon was a giant of a man with a cliched bushy red beard to match his booming voice and bright green eyes. He was no less wary of Lucius, but he had a significantly less prickly reputation than Concord. He caught the young boy as he barreled into him. Bruce’s frame was dwarfed by the older man’s- his shoulder disappearing under large, calloused hands.

“Whoa now boy! Careful with all your runnin- you never know what’s round the corner.”

Bruce glared at the man. “Sorry,” he said, not sounding very sincere.

“ _Bruce_.” Mrs. Wayne’s glare sent chills down Lucius’ spine, but clearly the reproach went over her son’s head. Instead he glared right back.

“It’s alright Mrs. Wayne, the lad meant no harm. Just needs to be more aware o’ his surroundins is all.”

“He still needs to apologize for running into you,” replied Mrs. Wayne, not breaking the stare-off going on between her and her child. “This is your space, your team’s space where you do your work. It’s rude for anyone to interrupt your space -possibly putting you in physical danger- just because they’re having a temper tantrum.”

“I am not!” cried Bruce, stomping his foot. To Lucius’ horror (and O’Shallon’s too by the look on his face) the boy’s eyes began filling with tears. “Alfred is my friend mom! He loves me! I’m not just a job.” Tears began to leak out of the corners of his eyes and he bit his lip in an apparent effort to keep them at bay.

“Well o’ course he does boy,” said O’Shallon before Mrs. Wayne could speak. “It’s perfectly natural to love your job.”

He crouched down so that he was eye-level with Bruce. “I love my job. It’s the best part of my day, gettin to come here, workin with my team, doin the thing I love, but it’s not the only part o’ my life. I have a wife and a tabby cat that need my attention too, but takin care o’ them doesn’t mean I love my work any less. In fact, spendin time with them helps my work even more, because when I get back to it I’m refreshed an’ read to take on anythin.”

Bruce finally broke eye contact with his mom to look a O’Shallon-hope and skepticism warred across his face.

“It’s true,” Lucius added before he even really thought about what he was saying. “I love tinkering- messing around to try and create something new. I love it, I dream about it, but I also need time to brush my teeth, read a good book, or just not think about working on anything for a while. None of those things change the fact that I love my job and wouldn’t change a single thing about it.”

Lucius tried to hide his wince at the end of his word-vomit. It was an imperfect analogy- but a true statement. He loved working for Wayne Enterprises. He loved his team and the freedom they had to push the envelope of what seemed possible. He loved that they also seemed to be doing some real good in the world and in the city- Lord only knows how much Gotham needed the shining beacon that Wayne Enterprises (and the Waynes themselves) represented.

Thankfully though Bruce seemed unbothered by the clumsy attempt to make him feel better. The tears were mostly gone and the look on his face was more contemplative than angry. Mrs. Wayne for her part- well Lucius couldn’t really tell what she was thinking. Her face was smooth and blank like a porcelain doll’s. She wasn’t looking at him or O’Shallon though, she only had eyes for her boy. Bruce glanced between him and O’Shallon- as if trying to detect any lie or crack in their sincerity. He furrowed his brow and bit the corner of his lip. Finally, after another moment of tense silence he looked up at O’Shallon. “So…what exactly do you do?”

The bearded man threw his head back and laughed. “I run the shippin department boy. I make sure all the toys Foxy here makes gets to where the need going to.” He gave Lucius a hardy slap on the back- vibrating down to his bones.

“Really?” Bruce looked a little skeptical- as if he didn’t quite believe someone could be obsessed with boats and oceanic maps (Lucius had a hard time believing it as well, but then again that’s probably why he wasn’t head of shipping).

“Come with boy. You can see what I’m talking about.”

O’Shallon placed his large hand on Bruce’s shoulder and gently guided him around the corner. Lucius glance quickly over to Mrs. Wayne- but she still was still wearing her mask. He actually found it a little eerie- how her face could go from so expressive it was actually a little uncomfortable, to being as blank and smooth as a slab of marble. He wasn’t going to say anything though- children were not his area of expertise by a long shot. By the time the two of them caught up with O’Shallon and Bruce, the older man was showing the boy one of his antique maps. By the looks of it, it probably predated the founding of WE.

“This map predates the foundin o’ the company- way back to when your kin were nothin but lucky sea-rats- shippin anythin and everythin the colonies had to offer round the world.”

Bruce’s eyes were round as baseballs as he took in the map- a piece of his family’s legacy. “There are dozens o’ these maps,” the redhaired man continued. “Every single one represents a path taken to get people what they needed. Brave men who left all they’d ever known to make this world just a little more connected.”

“Wow.”

O’Shallon smiled down at him. “Take a look at whatever you want while me, Foxy, and your mom hash out some business.” Bruce nodded vaguely, not really paying attention now that he had something completely new to occupy his attention. O’Shallon gestured to a small office to his right and Lucius and Mrs. Wayne followed him in.

As soon as the door was shut (with the blinds open so they could keep an eye on their young companion) the mask finally slipped. Mrs. Wayne took a deep breath through her nose then blew it out for a solid ten seconds. Finally, she turned to O’Shallon. “Bradley called up to you didn’t he?”

He nodded. “As soon as the elevator doors shut. It’s not often the big boss come down from on high to ask us for favors.”

Mrs. Wayne rolled her eyes. “There was an unexpected shortfall this quarter, we just need to close the gap until next quarter.”

“Oh I know that, but make no mistake we’ll be having words once you convince those jackals on the Board that they actually need us little folk to make them their money.”

Despite himself Lucius laughed- jackals was an apt way to describe the WE Board of Directors. There wasn’t a single person on that Board that didn’t already come from money and have portion of the city named after an ancestor or two. Rumors about what it had been like during Patrick Wayne’s heyday sent a shiver of discomfort down his spine- there’s no way Mrs. Wayne’s late father-in-law would’ve hired him (or Concord, or O’Shallon, or Sato).

As the three of them made various notes on the budget report- filling in the money Shipping was giving up to the overall budget- O’Shallon tipped his head towards the door. “What’s the boy’s story?”

Lucius watched as Mrs. Wayne began to fidget with her Star of David pendent. She blew out another sigh and said, “It’s Take Your Child to Work Day today- which I completely forgot about. So naturally after nearly ruining his day by forgetting, I placed my foot firmly in my mouth and hurt his feelings.”

“He’s close to your butler then? The tall, thin Englishman?”

Mrs. Wayne nodded. “Making friends…it can be difficult for him. He’s so smart- so, so smart- but he doesn’t always know how to relate to kids his own age. Coupled with the Wayne name it’s a miracle he’s made any real friends his own age.

“Alfred’s never asked Bruce to be anything other than himself- every wild bit of curiosity, ferocious intelligence, and…quirky interest accepted without hesitation. With Thomas and I’s schedules it’s a godsend that they’re able to spend so much time together, but sometimes I forget…I forget what it’s like.”

Her voice trailed off as she looked out the window at her son- her mind clearly a million miles away from budgets, board meetings, and interoffice politics.

O’Shallon made a soft humming noise before offering his boss a small smile. “I think the lad’s just fine ma’am- a little spirit never hurt anyone. Seems to me he takes the lion’s share from his mom- and that he’s damn lucky that way.”

Mrs. Wayne cleared her throat- her eyes oddly shiny- and offered the older man a small smile. “Thank you Seamus- that’s kind. And thank you for being such a team player. I’ll make sure Odetta adds you onto the calendar for next quarter- right after Bradley of course.”

“O’ course,” he laughed. With one final rib-shaking back-slap he gathered the papers up and beamed at Lucius. “Use my money well eh Foxy? It’d be a shame to have anymore hot air fill Roger Elliot’s head.”

Lucius gave a short laugh before following Mrs. Wayne out of the office. “I’ll do my best O’Shallon, I promise.”

The three of them exited the office, papers and backroom agreements in hand. Bruce looked up from where he had been pouring over one of O’Shallon’s old maps. From what Lucius could see it looked like an old map of Gotham’s harbor and river systems.

“I see you’ve found something you like boy,” said O’Shallon, practically beaming.

Bruce nodded. “This has my house on it!” He pointed to where a faded, crude sketch of Wayne Manor appeared on the old piece of parchment. The map itself was at least two hundred years old by Lucius’ estimation- so the grand scale of the house overlooking Gotham’s North River was probably more wishful thinking rather than any to-scale representation.

“That’s lovely sweet boy, but we need to get going and leave Mr. O’Shallon to his work,” said Mrs. Wayne, moving towards the boy.

Bruce flinched back, hunching protectively over the old map. Clearly he was still a little sore at his mother.

“Bruce.” The steel was back in Mrs. Wayne’s voice, but Lucius could see Bruce beginning to jut out his jaw. He absently wondered which iron will would win the stare-off.

Seemingly ignoring the brewing conflict between his boss and her nine-year-old son O’Shallon stroked his beard-appearing contemplative. “How about this son? I’ll get Gerty to frame this all nice up for you and the next time I see your mom, I’ll make sure she gets it to you.”

Bruce instantly perked up, while Mrs. Wayne looked between the two of them warily. “Seamus you really don’t have to-”

“Tis nothin, ma’am,” he said waving his hand. “ ’Sides, one day this’ll all be his anyhow. Might as well start gettin in his good graces now.” He laughed, while gently taking the old map from Bruce’s hands.

“Go on now, lots to see and do with your mom.”

Bruce nodded. “Ok. Thanks Mr. O’Shallon!” With a final grin he darted around the three adults, the corner of the hallway, and back towards the elevators.

Mrs. Wayne just gave a sigh and a shrug, nodded her goodbye to the taller man, before following her son. Lucius tipped his head and followed his boss down the hall. By the time he caught up with the two Waynes the elevator door was already open, waiting for him to join them. Lucius quickly slipped into the car and pressed the button for the sixtieth floor. While the day had gone unexpectedly smoothly, he didn’t want to get his hopes up about Sato.

The ride up was silent. If Lucius had to guess, he’d wager both mother and son were trying to find something to say that wouldn’t set the other off. And Lucius was smart enough to let two smart people figure out how to communicate on their own. Without Bruce’s constant chatter, Lucius could hear the music being piped through the elevator. It wasn’t bland muzak- melody-less and without any discernible tone- but something peppier…something...familiar.

As if she could hear his thoughts, Mrs. Wayne began humming along with the tune, foot tapping to the tempo. She was very good. It was no secret that Mrs. Wayne loved music- loved to listen to it, loved to play it, loved to be immersed in it, but it was a rare thing to hear her singing voice. Lucius had heard through the company gossip mill that she had one of the best voices in Gotham and Dr. Wayne was known to brag about how talented his wife is and how proud he is at how much their son is like her after a few martinis.

After a few more bars, Bruce joined his mom in humming the tune. He wasn’t as in-tune as his mom, but he kept pace and soon began taping his own foot. Lucius still couldn’t place what they were humming, but it was nice to see the two of them exchanging shy smiles, after their earlier frosty détente.

Then three things happened simultaneously.

One: Lucius finally figured out what song had been playing and let out an audible groan (freaking 9 to 5, that song was going to be stuck in his head for the rest of the day).

Two: Clearly hearing his groan and enjoying his distress, Bruce and Mrs. Wayne burst into giggles at the exact same time and

Three: The elevator dinged, alerting the trio that they’d reached their challenge of the day.

As they stepped off, Lucius shot them both dirty looks as they tried to smoother their giggles (Mrs. Wayne was marginally more successful than Bruce). However, once they fully stepped into the Biofoods floor of Wayne Tower, the giggles died. Directly in from of the elevator was a small office space where Mr. Sato’s secretary, Diamante, sat. Behind her was a wall made entirely of glass, showing off the rest of the lab on this floor. The lab itself was white and sterile- a direct contrast to Concord’s industrial space and O’Shallon’s old-timey nook.

Lucius watched Diamante’s Adam’s apple bob as she swallowed the gum she’d clearly been chewing before she’d noticed the CEO of the company walk out of the elevator.

“Hello Diamante,” said Mrs. Wayne, “Could you call and let Tatsuo know that Lucius and I need to speak to him?”

“U-uh sure ma’am,” the young woman stuttered, clearly very nervous around Mrs. Wayne. Before she could pick up the phone, however the door to the lab slid open.

“There is no need Ms. Lopez. I have been anticipating Mrs. Wayne’s visit all day.”

Tatsuo Sato was not a tall man, but he was the most meticulously put-together individual Lucius had ever seen. His gray hair was always parted crisply to the left, his shoes always shined, and his lab coat always neat and stain-free. It was also impossible to tell what he was thinking, his expression never waivered from polite blandness (even when Caleb Galavan was mocking his accent during the last shareholders’ meeting). He was the first controversial hire Mrs. Wayne had made- fresh off her honeymoon and barely a week into tender as Wayne Enterprise’s newest CEO. Lucius had heard stories about how furious the Board had been- hiring a foreign scientist (though that never seemed to apply to the dozen or so Eastern Block defectors Patrick Wayne had hired during his time) and giving him a salary that put him on par with a few junior executives within the corporate office.

It didn’t surprise him one bit that Mrs. Wayne had gotten her way, but Lucius almost had to wonder if it had been worth it. He wasn’t a fan of the Board of Directors by any stretch of the imagination, but he imagined it would make Mrs. Wayne’s life a lot easier if she got along with them. He’d asked about it once- right after that first meeting introducing him. She’d shrugged at his question and simply said, “You’re the right person for the job Lucius, just because you don’t look like the person who had the job before you, doesn’t mean you aren’t exactly what that department- and this company- need.”

Sato eyed the three of them with the same measured blandness Lucius had come to expect from him, the only tell of surprise was a small eyebrow quirk when he realized his boss’s son was also in his lobby.

“I assume Bradley called you while we were speaking with Seamus?”

Sato nodded. He glanced at Bruce again before speaking. “ _Sono shōnen wa okusama ni kuru koto ga dekimasen. Derikētona jikken ga ō sugimasu_.”

Mrs. Wayne nodded, “ _Kanzen ni rikai dekiru Tatsuo. Watashitachi wa anata no jikan o tori suginai yō ni tsutomemasu_.”

Lucius, Bruce, and Diamante did a double-take. Since when could Martha Wayne speak Japanese?

She turned to address Bruce in English. “Bruce, Mr. Sato and his team are working on some delicate projects, would you mind waiting out here with Ms. Lopez while Mr. Fox and I speak with him?”

Diamante gave Bruce a nervous smile as he nodded. He then stuck out his hand. “Hi I’m Bruce Wayne, nice to meet you.”

The secretary grinned and took his hand, “Diamante Lopez, pleased to meet you.”

With introductions out of the way Lucius, Mrs. Wayne and Sato left them to enter the labs. It was even whiter and more sterile on the other side of the glass wall. Every surface was either taken up by lab equipment, plant incubators, or was so meticulously clean it practically glowed. It reminded Lucius vaguely of a library the way all the technicians spoke in hushed tones- as if raising their voices too loudly would disturb the plants. Thought strangely soft flute music could also be heard playing from a boombox nestled in one of the least obstructive corners. Sato took them to his office- a small corner area with yet another door and wall made of glass.

“I know what you want,” he said without any preamble, “and I understand why you are asking, however I am not inclined to give it to you.”

Lucius wanted to sigh, but held back. If Sato was going to all bullshit and blandness he would try to match him strike for strike. “Then surely sir if you understand why we’re asking you to take a temporary budget cut, then surely you understand why “no” isn’t really an option.”

“You overreached Mr. Fox,” replied Sato in precise, sharp English, “and your department is now paying for your folly- I do not see why mine must share the same fate.”

For the first time today Lucius felt anger spike in his blood. “Overreached, you pompous-”

“Lucius,” cut in Mrs. Wayne, “ _Enough_.”

Lucius’ jaw snapped shut, but he continued to glare at the older man- who looked utterly unshaken.

Mrs. Wayne turned to Sato, her face going porcelain doll blank once more. “Sore wa fuhitsuyōna Tatsuodeshita. Soshite, anata ga watashi ga okonatte iru don'na katto mo kondo no shihanki no tame dakedearu koto o ki ni yoku shitte imasu. Kore wa hontōni nandesuka?”

For the first time (probably ever) Lucius saw a fissure of frustration cross Sato face.

“ _U~Ein fujin no katto o ukeireru hitsuyō wa arimasen. Keii o komete okusama_.”

Mrs. Wayne cocked her head to the side. “ _Hontō._ ”

“ _Dakara watashi ga korera no sakugen o ukeirerunara, watashi wa yosan ga baransu sa retara shikin o kaesu dakede wa naku, tonikaku anata ga yarou to shite ita._ ”

The blankness was gone from both their faces. Sato’s mouth was pressed into a thin line of determination while Mrs. Wayne just looked confused. “ _Sorede... Tatsuo wa nani ga hoshīdesu ka?_ ”

“ _Anata ga saisho ni watashi o yatotta toki yakusoku shita yō ni, watashi wa anata ni Daichi o Gotham ni tsureteitte hoshī nodesu_.”

Mrs. Wayne expression crumpled into something softer- a look somewhere between compassion and pity. “ _Oh, Tatsuo nan'nen mo ganbmatte kitakedo-_ ”

“ _Kare wa watashi no ai no pātonādesu,_ ” Sato murmured, suddenly looking sad and deflated, “ _Watashitachi ga issho ni ita subete no mono, watashitachi no shigoto, watashitachi no seikatsu... watashitachi no ie. Hisashiburi ni kare nashide wa i rarenaku natta._ Onegaishimasu _._ ”

Mrs. Wayne pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She held that position, eyes scrunched closed, head slightly bowed for a few moments before rolling her shoulders and looking back up at Sato.

“Alright Tatsuo,” she said, “Next Board meeting, I’ll bring up poaching Daichi from LexCorp Tokyo, but just know it’s not going to be easy.”

Sato nodded, and bowed a little. “Thank you, Mrs. Wayne.”

Without any more fanfare Sato scribbled his initials next to the number Mrs. Wayne and Lucius had come up with earlier in the day. Lucius was confused, but he decided that it could wait until after they’d left. Mrs. Wayne smiled at the shorter man and bowed, papers clutched tightly in her arms, while Sato returned the gesture. Lucius didn’t bow, but he did incline his head and murmur, “Thank you.”

Sato’s lips thinned, but he nodded to Lucius in return and said, “You are welcome Mr. Fox.” Then without anther word he slid the door to his office open and gave a sharp nod towards the entrance to the lab. Taking their cue, Lucius and Mrs. Wayne made their way out of the Biofoods lab as quickly and unobtrusively as possible.

As they stepped out Lucius muttered, “Ok, what the hell happened in there?”

Mrs. Wayne sighed. “Tatsuo had-has a partner still in Tokyo, Daichi Tanaka. They worked together in before I poached Tatsuo. Part of my sales pitch back then was that I’d be able to bring Daichi over eventually. The United States is more…permissive of their type of work and partnership.”

“So he basically called your bluff.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t a bluff- or at least I hadn’t intended on it being one. Roger and Jamison decided they wanted to get into bed with Lionel Luther shortly after I brough Tatsuo over- I couldn’t get the Board to agree to sponsor Daichi after that.”

Lucius stared at her, feeling a slightly hysterical laugh bubbling in his chest. “Holy shit. I mean I knew the Board were devils but…this is wild. They are actually, stupidly, incompetently evil. Or at the very least value short term profit over long term viability. I mean I don’t even really like the guy and even I know having a bioengineer like Tatsuo Sato at the company is a massive boon. The man might singlehandedly end world hunger and those jackasses are too petty and racist to see how bringing over his long-term lab partner might benefit not only his work, but the entire goddam company- not to mention what it could mean for Gotham or hell the world-”

He cut himself off when he realized Mrs. Wayne was grinning at him, and clearly trying to hold in some giggles. “Careful Lucius, keep talking like that and you’ll be on the Board with those jackasses one day.”

Lucius shuddered. “Oh god no, please ma’am- I’d rather work under Concord for the next fifty years.”

Mrs. Wayne tipped her head back to laugh. Her eyes sparkled bright and blue as she said. “I’ll keep that in mind Lucius, but eventually I’m going to need to fill the Board with people who care about this city and its people, not just lining their own pocketbooks.”

“You’ll find someone better than me ma’am.”

Before Mrs. Wayne could argue that point (and by the look on her face Lucius just knew she was going to try to argue), Bruce darted in between them- smile wide, bright and happy. “Mom! Mr. Fox! Look what Miss Diamante did!”

Now that Lucius was looking at the boy properly, he could see that he was wearing make-up. Not a lot- just some eyeliner and a little bit of blush- but the effect on his eyes was striking. They looked rounder and bluer than Lucius thought they were physically capable of being.

Mrs. Wayne crouched down to examine her son more closely, moving some of his hair out of his eye. Out of the corner of his eye Lucius saw the young secretary bite her lip- clearly she hadn’t thought all way through the ramifications of putting the CEO’s son in makeup.

“You look lovely sweet boy,” said Mrs. Wayne. “Did you thank Miss Lopez for doing such a lovely job?”

“He did ma’am,” Diamante said in a rush before Bruce could answer. “He really is the sweetest.”

Bruce beamed up at his mother. Mrs. Wayne chuckled and ruffled his hair. “C’mon Bowie, lets let Ms. Lopez get back to work.” Bruce nodded and began sprinting towards the elevator.

“OkmomthanksmissDiamantefortheawesomemakeupbye!”

“He says thank you,” Lucius translated at the young woman’s bewildered look. Mrs. Wayne merely shook her head and smiled, following her son at a more sedate pace. Chuckling to himself Lucius once again followed the Waynes to the elevator.

“So Bruce,” asked Mrs. Wayne once they were all caught up with each other. “What prompted the makeover?”

“Miss Diamante said she could help me become a Master of Disguise like the Gray Ghost! That any superhero worth their salt knows how to use makeup- to change their faces, hide their bruises, and keep their identities secret from their enemies!”

The elevator doors opened and Lucius pressed the button for the top floor, pleased with how the day had gone despite his misgivings.

Mrs. Wayne was nodding along to Bruce’s explanation. “Makes perfect sense. Between this and Alfred’s spy lessons you’ll be the most fearsome hero Gotham’s ever seen!”

“Is that what you want to be when you grow up Bruce?” asked Lucius, looking down at the boy. He was having a very difficult time imagining anyone with such a bright, quick smile being an intimidating, night-stalking vigilante.

Bruce nodded eager, “Yeah! I’ll be the best Gray Ghost ever!”

Mrs. Wayne snorted and glanced down at her son. “Oh? I thought you wanted to be a doctor like Dad?”

Lucius arched his brow. “A doctor? I would’ve thought you’d want to be like your mom- she’s the coolest CEO I’ve ever met and she’s a lawyer.”

Bruce furrowed his brow as his mom tried to discreetly roll her eyes at Lucius’ statement. Suddenly the boy straightened up.

“I’ll be like mom,” he said, face set firmly in conviction. “I’ll be a CEO doctor-lawyer, who is the Gray Ghost at night!”

“You’re going to be busy,” said Mrs. Wayne hugging Bruce to her side. “You might need a little help, you’re very own Ghoulie.”

“Ghoulie?”

“Gray Ghost’s kid sidekick,” answered Bruce rolling his eyes. “Mom, I’m not going to get a Ghoulie, everyone knows kid sidekicks are lame. Besides I’ll have Alfred.”

Lucius had to suppress a laugh at the thought of the uptight and proper Mr. Pennyworth ironing Bruce’s superhero tights.

“Besides,” Bruce continued, “Since I’m going to be like you, I won’t need help. You get people to do what you want by being a good boss to them. Everyone likes you, so everyone will like me too.”

Mrs. Wayne bit lip, clearly very touched by her son’s nonchalant pronouncement.

“I agree,” said Lucius. “I think you’ll make an amazing CEO doctor-lawyer Bruce.”

“While being Gray Ghost at night,” Bruce added firmly.

The elevator dinged open and before the conversation could continue Bruce darted out towards his mom’s office, chirping his hellos to the secretaries typing away. Lucius and Mrs. Wayne followed him out, but were intercepted by Odetta.

“For you Mr. Fox,” she said holding out a large square package.

Once he felt the weight of the package, he knew instantly what it was. He turned to Mrs. Wayne. “I know we’re done for the day but can I show you something? I think you and Bruce will like it.”

She nodded and they made their way to her office, where Bruce had made himself at home in her chair. Lucius set the box down on an end table and used a pen to pry open the tape. Twin pairs of blue eyes watched as he gingerly pulled out the equipment. He placed a square machine roughly the size of an answering machine on the table then removed the cellular phone from its many layers of packaging. It was a little bigger than the palm of his hand with the hard, plastic antennae rising about an inch above the top of the phone. Fortunately, the wires were packed in such a way that they didn’t get tangled, so he was able to connect them to their proper ports without much trouble.

“Lucius, what is all of this?” Mrs. Wayne asked, eyebrow arched.

“The reason we went over budget,” he replied. “Masseo and I have been working on new phone tech for the last few months. With the way technology is trending, getting smaller and more powerful, we figured it was only a matter of time before multiple machines become redundant. We wanted to test whether it was possible to combine two machines with very different purposes.”

“And what does that have to do with a portable phone?” she asked as Lucius dug out the photographic paper that had been sent with the machines.

“Think about, you’re taking a walk in Robinson Park and see a lovely bed of flowers, or magnificent bird, or maybe just someone you think is interesting. Imagine being able to take a picture of that moment with a device more and more people are starting to keep on themselves at all time.”

“So you’ve made a phone that takes pictures?” asked Bruce, grinning from ear to ear.  
Lucius nodded, “And you’ll be able to print the picture too, once you hook it up to the right machine.”

“You’ve tested it?” Mrs. Wayne didn’t sound skeptical, merely surprised.

“Not yet,” replied Lucius as he finished putting the machine together. “But this is what it will look like when it’s all said and done.” He held it up as if he were going to use it- arms out in front with the phone at eye-level.

Lucius watched as a mischievous grin worked its way onto his boss’s lips. Slowly she began inching towards Bruce. It took only a millisecond to realize what her plan was, but he was positive he was ready.

“Well there’s no time like the present to test it out- right Bruce?”

Then, with lightning fast speed she scoped her son up in her arms and took his place in her chair while placing him firmly on her lap.

“Say cheese!”

_**Many Years Later** _

“You outdid yourself Lucius, as always.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wayne,” Lucius replied, pushing his glasses a little farther up his nose. “Though I feel like I should take your compliment with a grain of salt considering you didn’t even attend the meeting.”

“Tim told me all about,” said Bruce with a lazy wave of his hand. “Besides I had a late night- there was no way I was going to make it through another quarterly snooze-fest- even if they did give Mrs. Connetti a going-away cake.”

“Yes, you seem to always have a late night when the Board’s about to meet the next day. Strange how that happens.” Lucius didn’t even try to hide his smirk at the petulant look Bruce shot him. The man in front of him may have been older but his pout was the same now as it had been when he was nine years old.

Before his boss could reply there was a knock on his office door.

“Mr. Bruce? May I come in?”

Bruce pushed the button on his desk allowing the door to open and for the lady of the hour- Odetta Connetti (finally retiring after over forty years at Wayne Enterprises)- to come in.

“Mrs. Connetti! I was going to stop by before you left to offer you my congratulations and to wish you nothing but health and happiness during your retirement. But now I guess you’ve saved me the trip!”

Bruce’s smile was so warm that for a moment Lucius was transported back to a time where the man in the chair was much smaller and the owner of this office had bright auburn hair instead of black. It was true that Bruce was the spitting image of his father in more ways than one- between his hair, his jawline, and his impressive stature most people wouldn’t be able to tell pictures of them apart save for the facial hair and clothing styles.

But.

Every now and then Lucius could see Martha Wayne looking at him through her son’s eyes. They shared the same bright shade of blue eyes. The same quick wit (though Bruce tried to hide it more often than not). They also shared the same smile- wide and bright and somehow both warmly intimate and dazzlingly brilliant- not that Lucius had seen Bruce smile his real smile all that often (maybe around his kids, or Alfred, but almost never at the office).

Mrs. Connetti smiled and Lucius had a feeling he wasn’t the only one seeing Martha Wayne’s ghost. “You are sweet boy Mr. Bruce, always have been, always will be.”

Bruce laughed. “Mrs. Connetti, I think you’re the only person in world who genuinely thinks I’m sweet. Now what can I do for you madame? Should you be out painting the town red? Celebrating your golden retirement?”

Lucius finally noticed the box in the old woman’s hands. She shifted it nervously as she spoke. “I was going through some things- old files and boxes and such and I…I found this. And I though you should have it.”

She placed the box down and pulled out a framed photograph. It had obviously been recently cleaned, but even without Bruce’s telltale stutter he knew what that picture must be of.

“She had it on her desk,” murmured Odetta as Bruce stared at the picture she’d handed him. “It was her most favorite, always showed it to people visiting her office. After…after I was cleaning up her things and put them away. I thought Mr. Pennyworth would come and get them eventually, but no one ever came.”

Lucius realized with a jolt that the whole box was filled with the contents of Martha Wayne’s desk. From where he was standing her could see old legal pads filled with her swooping, elegant handwriting, half-used pencils and pens missing their caps. There was a stack of paper with her personal letterhead and an unopened pack of Virginia Slims. It was a like some strange time capsule of office detritus from the nineteen-nineties.

Bruce didn’t notice any of that however, his eyes were still glued to the picture of him and his mother- the one that Lucius had taken all those years ago.

The quality wasn’t really that great- especially when compared to today’s technology, but you could see their smiles- those twin sunburst smiles- clear as day. Martha had Bruce pulled into her lap and her legs kicked out on the top of her desk- the scuffed soles of her thousand-dollar pumps visible from the angle Lucius had taken. Their smiles were so wide their eyes crinkled and the joy radiating from the photo was palpable. It was the perfect picture of a mother and son who adored each other and loved letting the world share in that love.

Martha Wayne had been murdered with a year of that picture being taken.

Bruce still had spoken, hadn’t moved or even seemed to breathe since Odetta gave him the picture.

She gently placed her wrinkled hand on his cheek, tilting his face up from the photo to look at her. “You are good man Mr. Bruce,” she said, speaking slowly and clearly. “And good son. She would be so proud.”

“I…I…”

The words seemed to get stuck in his throat and Lucius could’ve sworn Bruce’s eyes were getting a little brighter (wetter?). Odetta gave him a soft smile, patted his cheek, and turned to leave the office without another word.

Lucius let Bruce sit in silence for a few moments before speaking.

“She’s right you know.”

Bruce looked up sharply. “Lucius…”

“She would be proud of you,” Lucius said, barreling through whatever warning his boss was trying to give him. “You’ve made this company your own, you’ve made Gotham your own, but through it all you’ve always been true to yourself and to her vision for this place. You are a good man Bruce, one your mother would be thrilled to know.”

The younger man lowered his eyes and bit his lip, clearly conflicted. “I’d like to think you’re right Lucius…but some days I’m not so sure.”

Lucius clapped his hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “I’m sure. Trust me on this Bruce, you are precisely the man your mother hoped you would become.”

With that he turned to leave the office and to leave a son some time alone with the spirit of his mother. He walked over to the elevator and pressed the button for the private executive parking lot. As he descended downwards Lucius thought back to that day so many years ago- it was remarkable to remember how much unrestrained energy the current CEO of Wayne Enterprises had had back then. How enthusiastic he’d been to be in his mother’s company and explore every inch of the company he’d seen that day. Lucius also thought back to the conversations the three of them had had in this very elevator.

**“I’ll be like mom. I’ll be a CEO doctor-lawyer, who is the Gray Ghost at night!”**

‘Well’ though Lucius as he stepped out of the elevator towards his car, ‘Three out of four isn’t bad.’

**Author's Note:**

> Translations from Japanese:  
> The boy cannot come in ma'am. There are too many delicate experiments.  
> Perfectly understandable Tatsuo. We'll try not to take up too much of your time.  
> That was unnecessary Tatsuo. And you know damn well that whatever cuts I'm making will only be for this coming quarter. What is this really about?  
> I don't have to accept your cuts Mrs. Wayne. With all due respect ma'am.  
> True  
> So if I do accept these cuts, I want more than just the return of the funds once the budget is balanced- which you were going to do anyways  
> I want you to bring Daichi to Gotham- like you promised when your first hired me.  
> Oh Tatsuo, I've been trying for years but the Board-  
> He is my partner. In all things we were together, our work, our lives...our home. It's been so long I can't be without him any longer. Please.


End file.
